Monkey Hear, Monkey Say

Have you ever felt like you are talking to brick wall? Have you ever felt like when you are in front of a group of preschool or elementary kids that none of them are listening to you or watching what you are doing? Well, you are not alone! There are many times throughout my day where I feel as though I am talking to myself. But I have good news! Even if it feels like you are only talking to yourself, the children are always watching and listening to what you are saying, but it may not necessarily look like it!

Here are few examples from my preschool classroom:

In my weekday community preschool class, I teach some of the children who attend VFC on the weekends. During class, as we were talking about Jesus and how He was a little boy and had to grow up just like preschoolers do, I asked them what other stories they knew about Jesus. Many responded with how Jesus was in a manger, but the same little boy talked about how Jesus put mud on someone’s eyes so he could see. This was the same story being taught the previous weekend! He remembered what was being taught to him, even though it may not have appeared like he was listening!

Recently, I had a child say a not so nice word and a volunteer in my classroom told the child that is was a bad word and we don’t say bad words at school. Right after she told him that, he said, “I know another bad word,” and said an even worse swear word. This goes to show you that kids are listening and they know the difference between good words and bad words. We need to be cognizant that the words we are speaking, they are hearing!

Here is another example of the positive effects of words: In our community preschool, we have a time designated each day called “Circle Time” and during this time, we share a devotional with the preschool kids. During our daily devotional, there is a short story, a Bible verse and then a prayer. I always close the prayer by saying, “in Jesus Name, Amen”. Well, one Friday morning, my student teacher was doing the devotional with a group of kids and as she concluded the prayer she simply said “Amen.” One of the kids piped up and told her that her prayer was wrong because we have to say “In Jesus name, Amen.”  It was a great example to me of how they are always listening even when you don’t think they are!

Children pick up on things you say and do and they will repeat it! It’s important for us as volunteers and Kids Ministry staff members to remember that kids are always listening and that we should only speak words of life. We need to remember that even on those mornings when it seems like the children only want to do talk to their neighbor, that they are listening and watching your every move! Here at VFC one of our codes is “We reach youth – we honor age.” When we remember to speak words of life and love into each child, we are reaching the youth and the next generation!

Jodi

5 Traits of a Great Volunteer

We are so blessed to have what I would consider one of the best volunteer teams in the country. Each week hundreds of volunteers come out just to serve the kids of Valley Family Church. I’ve compiled a list of what I believe to be the top 5 traits of a great volunteer. There are obviously more traits than this but these are some key traits that volunteers can really use that will bless your leader.

1.       They get that it’s not about “I”

Great volunteers understand that it’s not about their preference or what they want. They understand that there’s a vision for the church and that ultimately the vision comes from the Lord. Around here we call it “screaming green.” To define screaming green is basically to scream the same thing that the entire church is screaming. If the church is streaming green, you shouldn’t be screaming purple.

2.       They serve with excellence

Great volunteers understand that the details are what separate good Kids Ministries from great ones. They know that no detail is too small to pay attention to. A story that we focus on here at Valley Family Church is the story of the Queen of Sheba. The Queen of Sheba understood the importance of how things looked and the importance of sweating in preparation so you don’t bleed in battle. Great volunteers serve with excellence!

3.       They are humble

A key to being great in anything, including being a Kids Ministry volunteer, is being humble. Everyone brings something to the table that can benefit the team, but having the mindset that you can learn from everyone will take you far. Having a mindset of “I don’t know everything” will really help your team not rely on what worked in the past but move towards what can work better now.

4.       They like being asked to do big things

Another key to being a great volunteer is the desire to be asked to do something big. When you’re asked to do something that seems impossible, are you caught up in what can’t be done or are you excited to exercise your faith? Being a volunteer like this will really bless your leader because they will feel the freedom to dream knowing that you’re behind them 100% ready to accomplish the impossible with God!

5.       They have fun!

This is really simple but something that is needed. Great volunteers understand that life is short and church should be fun. Sure sometimes things get stressful, and some things don’t go according to plan. In the end, having an attitude of fun makes any situation better. I truly believe that fun is just that, an attitude. Having a predisposition that you are going to have fun will make even the most difficult situation laughable.

Tim

The Importance of Events

Have you ever wondered why churches host so many events? After all, isn’t it really about the weekend service and the message being taught? The answer is yes, the weekend service is essential for a growing and vibrant relationship with the Lord, but there’s more to being planted in the church than just attending service every Sunday morning.

The weekend service is about spreading the message of Jesus Christ; it’s about helping visitors connect and regular attendees grow in their faith. But beyond growing in their faith, parents and kids alike are looking for a relational experience where they can connect with others. Parents specifically aren’t simply bringing their kids to church to learn about God, but in the hope that their children will establish relationships with other kids and other families that share the same values.

On the weekends, we intentionally spend a lot of time helping kids connect with a God that is real and a forever friend. We spend time in worship and in the Word. However, during the duration of the service, there isn’t always the time and the opportunity for kids to interact with one another and establish friendships and relationships. This is where events come into play.

At Valley Family Church we offer a wide variety of events for kids. Some of these events are for kids of a specific age group, others are geared toward boys or girls and some are focused on the entire family. The goal behind each one of these events is to connect kids with kids or families with families. 1 Corinthians 15:33 tells us that “bad company corrupts good morals” or good character. We want each and every child that comes through the doors to have an opportunity to be in good company and have an outstanding set of morals and character. In the end, we endeavor to have kids who love God and have friends who help and support them in sharing the love of God with others. We see kids who live out Proverbs 27:17 “as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

Events are an essential way to help kids and families form these relationships. In an effort to provide these opportunities to kids and families on a regular basis, we endeavor to host at least one Kids ministry event per month. While our events range in price, we try to keep the cost as low as possible so that all families can participate.

Here are some examples of the more popular Kids Ministry events we host at Valley Family Church:

·         Pizza/Movie Nights

·         Glow Bowling

·         Princess Tea Party

·         Sporting Events

Events are a lot of work; there is a lot of planning and promoting that goes into a well-run event. However, they are essential to a healthy ministry! I hope you feel inspired and motivated to evaluate your events and look for areas you can improve.  

Shon

Keep Engagement, Not Attention

One of the main challenges in Kids Ministry is making sure that your ministry doesn't put kids to sleep. This is becoming even more of a challenge today as kids are growing up with more media than ever before. The approach we take really determines whether their attention will be captured or released. Obviously the programming, talent and environment play a large part in this. However, I think that there's a systemic issue that we need to take a deeper look at. Are you trying to keep their attention or engage them?

Don't compete for a child's attention; you'll lose the majority of the time. There are so many things constantly competing for a child's attention: TV, video games, homework, sports, dancing, YouTube, etc... The point I'm trying to make is that attention doesn't translate to transformation. Attention only means "the act or faculty of attending, especially by directing the mind to an object." When you have a child’s attention, you only get their mind. But to see transformation, you need more than just the mind, you need to capture a child’s heart! To engage, however, is to take ownership of something, to be involved with it. That is precisely what we need more of in Kids Ministry, to have the kids take ownership, not just to pay attention.

So you're saying, "Ok, I get it...now what?" Truly, it's more of a philosophy change but there are some pragmatic, simple steps that you can take to capture and engage kids and not just get their attention.

1. "The younger kids follow the older kids, the older kids want to lead." By the time a child has reached 4th or 5th grade, they have heard the vast majority of the Bible stories many times. They have seen the object lessons and they have watched all the cool videos you can throw at them. Those things are good and definitely have a place in Kids Ministry, however, at this age, the kids are beginning to feel a sense of wanting to give back, to take the knowledge they have gained and do something with it. We are doing them an injustice if we are teaching them for years and not giving them an avenue to purse these goals. One thing we have done here at Valley Family Church is called "Kidamazoo UP." It's a discipleship program for 4th and 5th graders that allows those who have this desire to lead and further develop their knowledge in the Word, to do so. We take one week out of the summer and the kids come for a full day and spend three hours on biblical teaching each day. We also provide various workshops on how to serve in Kids Ministry and interactive team building activities. Once a child has completed this program, they have full access to assist with serving in Kids Ministry whether it is helping a younger kid find a Bible verse or showing a first time visitor around the environment. It has increased our level of interaction during worship and during times of teaching. This is the model we have used, but you can modify it to what works best with you and your ministry.

2. "Cheap laughs are pricey." Fun is a part of Kids Ministry, hands down! If you don't make kids laugh and enjoy the service, it'll be tough to keep them coming back. However, if you gauge your attention level by the laughs and jokes, than transformation may be eluding you. They are kids and want to have fun, but they are also people and want to be challenged and encouraged. Just because we’re teaching kids doesn't mean we need to water down the gospel; we just need to communicate it in a way that is understood by their vocabulary. Simply put, kids don't speak "Christianese." Instead of saying we are righteous, say that we are clean in God's eyes...that He sees us as perfect because Jesus passed the test for us.

Grab their engagement and not their attention and you'll see results. You'll always have some kids that don't pay attention and you have to also be okay with that. Remember that behind every so called "problem child" there is a troubled story that explains the way they are. Take time to listen and you'll be surprised at what you find.

Tim

Life Lessons from Little Ones

Have you ever thought about how simple, yet profound, the mind of a child can be? Working in Kids Ministry or with kids in any capacity is an absolute blessing from God. Even as adults, our human minds are incapable of knowing everything. But have you ever considered that you could even learn from a child?

In my years of working with kids, it has happened to me time and time again. With a Bachelors and Masters Degree, I would consider myself to be a fairly educated individual. However, some of the greatest lessons I have learned in life haven’t come from a classroom setting, they have come from the mouths of the little ones that I am trying to teach. I distinctly remember one incidence when I was teaching a lesson about pride and I was using the example of a lion. I quickly drew a picture of a lion on the board to help demonstrate my point. After the class, one of my students came up to me and said “I know an easier way to draw a lion.” She proceeded to write the number 5 on the board a quickly transform it into a lion. It was amazing!

1 Timothy 4:12 in The Message Bible says, “Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don't let anyone put you down because you're young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.” The Bible clearly says that even the young can teach us with their life. I challenge you to channel your inner child, let down your guard, get down and play with the kids you are ministering to. When they see you having fun, they will have fun too!  And don’t be surprised if you learn something from them along the way.  I trust you will be blessed beyond measure.

Shon

Changing Diapers; Changing Lives!

Did you know that as a Kids Ministry volunteer, one of the most rewarding roles you can have is to change a child’s diaper? At VFC, we change every child’s diaper during the service to ensure that the child is properly cared for. Most of the time, when asked to be on diaper duty, a person might want to say no, complain, or feel like they have the worst assignment for the morning. However, that is not the case! Changing diapers is an opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with each child and plant seeds into their young life.

It's important that when a volunteer changes a child’s diaper they take the opportunity to speak two to three Bible verses over that child. Sometimes those two or three verses will be the only scripture that is ever spoken into that child’s life. Many children who come to our classrooms during the weekend services have parents who are new to the Lord and their parents don’t know that they can speak life, or have the authority to speak life, into their child using the Word of God! Instead, those children often times have parents who are just learning what the Word says, that the Word is alive and active, or are just learning that they can speak the Word in their own life, let alone their child’s life!

As a volunteer, how sobering is it to realize that you have this amazing opportunity to add life to a child, but because there may be a dirty diaper, you choose another role for the day?! Changing diapers is an amazing opportunity and an honor to spend that one-on-one time with the child and speak the Word of God into their life! One of our VFC codes is: We live by faith. Don’t let dirty diapers get in your way of speaking into a young child’s life! By speaking the Word of God into a child’s life as you change their diaper, you are teaching them to live by faith. Volunteer to change diapers and change a child’s life!

Here are some of the verses that we speak over each child in our Birth-12 Month classroom all the way up to our three-year-old classroom.

“You can do all things through Christ, who strengthens you!” Philippians 4:13

 “You are created in God’s image.” Genesis 1:26

 “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:14

 “You have the mind of Christ” 1 Corinthians 2:16

 “You abide in God and His Words abide in you.” John 15:7

 “God is always with you and will never leave you.” Hebrews 13:5

 “You have angels all around you, wherever you go.” Psalm 91:11

 By Jesus’ stripes you are healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

 “You hear the voice of Jesus and a stranger you will not follow.” John 10:4

 “You walk by faith and not by what you can see.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

 “You can have what you say when you pray, in Jesus’ name.” Mark 11:24 

Jodi